Vent for gravity-flow-meter and heater apparatus



J. L. FlTTS AND W. F. BILYEU.

- VENT FOR GRAVITY FLOW METER AN D HEATER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18,1917.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

HEHTER Mann? 8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. w

JAMES LOGAN FITTS, MEROHANTV ILLE, AND WILLIAM F. BILYEU, OEIRIVERTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO WARREN WEBSTER & COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VENT FOR GRAVITY-FLOW-METER AND HEATER APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. "19, 1920.

Application filed July 18, 1917. Serial No. 181,448.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES LOGAN Frrrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Merchantville, county of Camden, State of New Jersey, and WILLIAM F. BILYEU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverton, county of Burlington, State of New J ersey, have invented a new and useful Vent forGravity-Flow-Meter and Heater Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In the art of heating and measuring water, wherein a feed water heater is employed in conjunction with weir or other meter or measuring device, it is well known that conditions may arise to prevent the free entrance of'steam into the feed water heater, which same conditions; might prevent the free outflow. of water from the heater and it is obviously desirable to provide for free inflow and outflow from both. heater and meter at all times.

In the appliances of this general character, which are now on the market, a plain equalizing pipe between the heater and the meter in conjunction with a vent pipe to the atmosphere has been employed, which is de ficient. for the reason that this construction permits of a waste of steam through this vent from the heater.

In our novel device, we have successfully controlled the vent from the heater and meter apparatus by the use of a thermostatic valve which acts as a steam conserver, together with a check valve, which acts as a vacuum breaker to prevent there being too great a vacuum within the heater and meter, since an excessive vacuum would result in holding a column of water in the heater and the meter and the piping to the pump to the detriment of the pumping system.

We have also found from practical experience that in the combination of a feed water heater and a meter, there are certain times when the steam supply is limited and is insufficient in volume to heat the water to the highest temperature, the air which is expelled through the water accumulating in the top of the heating apparatus and rendering the device inoperative until this air has been removed by a pressure of steam.

By our invention we have devised novel means to overcome the foregoing disadvantages, the same comprising the novel collocation of a thermostatically operated valve and another valve adapted to operate as a vacuum breaker, sald valve being located in piping common to a feed water heater and a ing drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred by us, since thesame will be found in practice to. give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to the precisearrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a feed water heater, the top of the meter and the vent therefor. having therein our novel combination of check valve and a thermostatically operated valve.

Fig. 2 represents .a front elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents on an enlarged scale a sectional view of a thermostatically operated valve employed.

Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of a' heater and meter equipped with our novel construction of vent and thermostatic valve so arranged for positive vacuum regulation. Fig. 5 representsa sectional View of a preferred form of gate valve which may be employed.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings In carrying out our invention, we have shown our preferred form of construction. wherein 1 designates our novel construction of vent for gravity flow meter and heater.

the same comprising a feed water heater 2,

which'may be of any suitable or conventional type, but which is preferably constructed under prior patents granted to Warren Webster, it being understood that said feed water heater has the usual inlet for the cold water and exhaust steam, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The meter 3 may be of a gravity type meter of any suitable or conventional construction, and 4 designates the pipe which leads from the heater 2 to the fitting 5 from which leads the pipe 6 to the meter 3.

Both the pipes 4: and 6, and thefitting 5 are in communication with the branch, which carried the thermostatically operated valve 7, and the check valve 8, the latter being provided with a valve member 9.

The internal construction of the thermostatically operated valve 7, will be evident from Fig. 3, wherein 9 designates the valve casing, having the inlet 10 and the top or closure 11, which is provided with a,boss 12 having a bottom seat therein which engages the stem 13 carried by the body 14, which is provided with the depending valve proper 15, which controls the opening or port 16 in the bushing 17, located above the outlet 19, it being understood that the body 1 1 extends or contracts according to variations in the temperature.

This thermostatically operated device, may be attached to or in communication with the two pipes 4 and 6 common to the feed water heater and meter, in which the valve 9 of the check valve 8, will open to relieve the vacuum in excess of heater demand, while the thermostatically operated valve or trap 7 will open for the discharge of air but close due to the thermostatic mechanism to prevent the outflow of steam.

It will thus be seen from Figs. 1, 2 and 3, that we have produced "anovel construction of a feed water heater and a gravity flow meter having an air pipe communicating with the interior of the meter with a common air outlet to the atmosphere in which there is an air escape, consisting of a thermostatically operated valve and a check valve to operate as a vacuum breaker.

In Fig. 4: we have shown a diagrammatic embodiment of our invention as applied to the heater 2 andth'e meter 3, wherein the pipes 4 and 6 form a common communication between said heater and meter, the thermostatically operated valve 7 being connected to an extension of said pipe 4, the

internal construction of said thermostatically operated valve being understood from Fig. 3. In the extension of the pipe 4 is a gage 18 to indicate the vacuum within the heater, the degree of vacuum being adjustable by means of the gate valve 20, whose construction will be apparent from the sectional view shown in Fig. 5, said valve com prising a body 21, the valve proper 22, having the port 23, therein, and the valve operating stem 24c.

It will now be apparent that we have devised a novel and useful construction of a vent for gravity flow meter and heater apparatus, which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while we have, in the present instance, shown and described preferred em.- bodiments thereof which will give in practive satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirlt or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a feed water heater, a gravity flow meter and an air pipe communicating with the interior of said heater and meter, said pipe having a common branch outlet leading to the atmosphere in which is located an air exhaust device consisting of a thermostatically operated valve and a valve adapted to operate as a vacuum breaker.

2. The combination of a heater, a meter, an air pipe common to the interior of said heater and meter and having a branch leading to the atmosphere, a vacuum gage in said branch, a thermostatic valve in said branch, and a throttling valve also in said branch.

JAMES LOGAN FITTS. WILLIAM F. DILYEU. 

